Dear Colleague,
As May’s new car sales figures demonstrate, consumer demand continues to rise. New car sales rose by 674.1% in May compared to the same month last year when showrooms were closed due to lockdown. While this rate of growth will not be sustained in the long-term, it is encouraging to see the economy is performing better than expected as restrictions ease.
On Wednesday 9 June, representatives from the NFDA and their EV working group will be meeting with the Department for Transport (DfT) and the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) to discuss further, the Plug-in Car Grant (PiCG). The discussion is a result of a panel hosted by NFDA on 28 April, when DfT and OZEV discussed the rationale behind the recent PiCG changes. The focus for this meeting will be to highlight the financial impact of further changes to the PiCG, specifically for dealers that may have unsold wholesale stock, at the point of change.
This week the Government announced that increased incentive payments for hiring a new apprentice are now available. The payments totalling £3,000 for each apprentice will be available to employers who hired between 1 April 2021, through to 30 September 2021. Please get in touch with us if you require any further information or assistance regarding this.
The European Commission has recently published the Evaluation Report and Staff Working Document summarising the findings of its evaluation of the Motor Vehicle Block Exemption Regulation. The NFDA will now be working closely with members and our regulatory working group to analyse the findings and will be liaising with our European body AECDR.
NFDA is the voice of automotive retailers: if you require any assistance or would like any further information about any of the issues discussed in the newsletter please email nfda@rmif.co.uk or contact our member helpline on 01788 538303.
Sue Robinson, NFDA Chief Executive
